Need4Camaro

iTrader: (1)

99 Z28
Never been auto-crossing before. I'm still on 100% stock suspension. I did the Brembo Brake upgrade and also swapped to 19" Wheels, 275's front, 295's rear

I wanted to lower it no more than 1" because ground clearance issues (I have ground effects). Can I get any good recommendation for springs / shocks for that? I was thinking I would also do well by upgrading the sway bars. Would it be a good idea to go for a Tubular K-Member and upgrade the A-Arms? What about sub-frame connectors?

UMI Performance

iTrader: (77)

Hello,

Great to hear... you will love it!

And no, you won't need all of that. Actually the most important part of autocrossing is seat time and getting to know your car. However I know that trying to get seat time in a bone stock car can be frustrating too. We all want our car to handle and feel like the next guy.

If you want to add some parts I recommend to start with shocks, springs, a panhard bar, tires and possibly sway bars. Other items can add some benefit but these are what I would start with to give you a good set up and get you started and learning. A k-member and a-arms at this point won't benefit you.

We could set you up in a set of Koni shocks and lowering springs. We also have Viking coilovers that we have autocrossed on and are happy with, they are budget friendly. We also have UMI/Strano coilovers developed specifically for this application but a little more cost.

We are happy to help, do you have a budget in mind? What wheels are on the car now?

We are glad to help.

UMI Sales

iTrader: (1)

Your going to get a lot of mixed feedback here on the subject from guys that have done many modifications to their cars.

What I can tell you is that there will probably be no modification bigger than shocks and springs along with seat time!

The heart of the suspension is the shock/spring combo, I would spend here wisely. There's an old saying that goes "you get what you pay for", This applies here more so than any other component on your car.

If your looking for shocks and springs that will handle the duty of auto-x/road course and still work flawlessly in a street application UMI and Sam Strano have teamed up developed a package that is probably second to none unless you get into the high $$$ stuff that most working people can't afford nor need for everyday driving and the occasional track day.

http://umiperformance.com/catalog/in...Path=7_435_439

I'll let the guys here that are currently running them give you the non biased feedback on how they perform.

All the other components you mentioned may or may not be what you need for your build and can be added at anytime.

When choosing a company to purchase components from it is wise to make a few phone calls and ask questions like.....are your components made in the US from US material?...what is your warranty?...Do you test your product?...Do you manufacture your components through the entire process?

You'll narrow down your choices rather fast after making a few phone calls!

If you need any info or pricing feel free to call me here at the shop .

Craig

Chris Paveglio

iTrader: (2)

I've been AX'ing for 15 years. The #1 improvement, hardware-wise, is shocks. I don't think you _need_ springs to go along, at first. I got Koni shocks and used stocks springs for a good number of years. The ride is good and handling much improved. IMO a bigger front sway bar helped a lot also, and I would put it in my top 5 first upgrades to do also.

Changing or adding a lot of parts all at one time is going to change the handling a lot, so yeah you need seat time to unlearn the old car habits and learn how to handle the new stuff.

Sub frame connectors are a good addition. The SCCA rules say only 2 point. I got weld-in 2 point units. I would not spend money on a K member, because the stock unit is so good, and for your first few years of AX, there are far better upgrades to spend money on (parts and/or driving schools!). In fact, I never plan to replace the K member - plus I _think_ it will put you into a far harder AX class.

The order of what I put on my car was:
Shocks, front sway bar, SFC, STB, seats, springs, watts link, long tube headers (cat back you can do whenever). I'd also recommend the Strano Brake Brace right away. Rear bar is a usual replacement but depends on your driving style, I find the stock one is fine for me, I don't like too much tail happiness.

sprinj76

If you've never autocrossed before I'd recommend taking the car as-is to the first event to try it out. Make sure it's something you really enjoy doing before you spend a lot of money on parts.

Do you plan on being competitive? Fastest overall or fastest within your class? Do you know which class you'd like to race in? Or do you want to do this casually and for fun?

Largest single improvement you can make is tires. You can have the best shock/spring/sway bar setup in the world with all-season 600 tread wear tires and you'll be disappointed.

If you're looking for a 1" drop and no more/less I'd suggest going with a coil-over setup so you can set the height you want. I'd probably go with the UMI/Strano coil-overs for dual use autoX + street driving.

landstuhltaylor

iTrader: (6)

#1 is not springs or shocks, it is tires. However, you are going to be terrible your first time so just show up.

FirstYrLS1Z

iTrader: (4)

^^^ mostly this. Do it as it is now as a 'learner'. Trying to be fast is your enemy. The slower you go the faster(by the clock) you will be. Also going slower to not over-run the cones will be less points subtracted.

#1-tires
#2-1LE or equivalent sway bars,balanced front and rear without going extreme for front only or rear only.
#3-better bushings for rear LCAs' and panhard bard.
#4-shocks-I'll let others chime in for that.

And no matter how fast or slow you are,enjoy and have fun. NEVER become frustrated. Maintain a good pleasant attitude and the other X-crossers will be helping you.

79_T/A

iTrader: (1)

If it's your first time, just show up. Make sure your tires are in good working order, along with your battery hold down. Give it a basic safety inspection and go enjoy yourself. If you have fun and want to do more, then consider some upgrades mentioned.

M4N14C

iTrader: (3)

#1 - Seat time
#2 - Shocks
#3 - Sway bars
#4 - Tires (Upgrade front hubs once you start getting sticky tires)
#5 - Driver mods (better seat/shifter/steering wheel)

00PewterSS

iTrader: (3)

As with the other people I would just go drive the car before investing a bunch of money. Inspect the car well... they will check wheel bearings (sort of) and if the battery is loose. You might want to check to make sure the bushings aren't wiped out (FLCA rear, bar bushings, etc.)

When you AutoX you will quickly find out if something is horribly wrong that you must fix to enjoy the car. For example my car used to rear brake hop and I know other stock camaros do as well and that is bad.

If you like AutoX then consider mods, some 18" autocross wheels/tires would be what I would start with since you are on 19". Then pick the other mods based on your perceived car's problems.

My 2 cents... by the way, the UMI guys have been great to me, I just bought a ton of parts.

camarokid91

Don't do anything to the car. Just show up as others have said.

blackandgold

iTrader: (2)

FWIW I took my '99 to auto-x on stock everything and it was terrifying compared to my s2k. Lots of worn out bushings and old shocks, still worth going stock the first time so you can see improvements from your upgrades.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

I really need :popcorn: for this.

As for the autocrossing part, just go. Hell rent a car from Hertz if you want, don't worry about a fully setup car. HOWEVER, the fact is that most of us want better driving cars too, so if you want to make the car better even before you go (as in more fun to drive on the street and such) then by all means there is nothing wrong with that.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

And yeah, I can help.....

BMR Sales2

iTrader: (40)

As many other have mentioned, Springs, shocks, swaybars, and tires are the first step in mods to improve handling. However none of these components will make you a faster driver. I have seen guys that aren't afraid to hang it out on a stock suspension car that will out lap someone with a full suspension that is more conservative. Seat time with the car and knowing the course is very important for having the confidence to throw it in. If you have that confidence and hardware to back it, that is where real lap time improvements will come in

MidwestChassis2

iTrader: (1)

Probably the best advice. I know it doesn't get talked by us at MWC but Eric (owner) and I actually used to Auot-X through out the 90's only stopping do to lack of local locations.

Go watch, listen, and learn what is going on around you to help calm your nerves being their the first time. Don't be afraid to fail because we all have done it a time or two until we learn and understand what the vehicle is doing and will do.

Don't be afraid to ask questions.

UMI Sales

iTrader: (1)

This dude and his co-pilot eat popcorn but he doesn't go to Hertz when he wants to go fast!!

M4N14C

iTrader: (3)

Great thing is these cars are really easy and forgiving to drive once you do all the basic mods (shock/spring/sway bars). You can really throw them around not have to worry about snap oversteer (Looking at you, AP1 S2000) and stock you really don't have enough power to get you into trouble (on good tires).

Great car to cut your teeth on IMO.

camarokid91

Show up. Take the novice walk, goto cone school, get an instructor, drive, improve, then figure out if this hobby is for you.

Need4Camaro

iTrader: (1)

I'm going to need a minute to read through all of this, I'm having a very bad sinus attack because the pollen is out and can't really focus very well right now. I'll get back to you guys soon.